Johns Hopkins UniversityEst. 1876
America’s First Research University
The 21st Century Cities Initiative (21CC) provides an interdisciplinary platform for faculty members, graduate students, and undergraduates to collaborate with policymakers, private industry, city government departments, NGO practitioners, and academics and researchers at other universities and institutes to identify and devise solutions to pressing social challenges.
21CC seeks to identify new strategies and learn best practices from cities around the world to enhance the vibrancy of our home town of Baltimore and to bring the knowledge gained here to other cities. We rely on formal statistical hypothesis testing to evaluate the intended and unintended consequences of different policies.
Mobility Expectations of Baltimore Area Residents
In this research brief, we used data from the 2024 Baltimore Area Survey (BAS) to report on Baltimore area residents’ mobility expectations and preferences to describe how expectations and preferences differ by income, homeownership status, and neighborhood satisfaction.
The Cost of Living in Baltimore: Financial hardship and future concerns
March 4, 2026
In this research brief, we use data from the 2025 Baltimore Area Survey (BAS) to report on Baltimore area residents’ experiences with cost-of-living expenses.
Baltimore Black Butterfly Entrepreneurs’ Access To Capital: Barriers, Consequences, And Alternatives
January 17, 2026
Drawing on 63 semi-structured interviews with Baltimore entrepreneurs and representatives from financial institutions, this report identifies the barriers entrepreneurs face when seeking bank loans
Data Report: SNAP Benefits and Food Insecurity in the Baltimore Area
November 11, 2025
We examine the relationship between SNAP benefit recipients and food insecurity in the Baltimore area using data from the 2024 Baltimore Area Survey.
Small Business Bank Lending in Baltimore’s Black Butterfly and White L, 2013-2023
August 6, 2025
This study examines community level disparities in lending across Baltimore City in recent years and the racialized geography of banks’ small business lending in Baltimore by looking over a decade of the most recent publicly available data from 2013 to 2023.
Opportunity or Necessity? Perceptions of Entrepreneurship in Baltimore
April 29, 2025
We examine perceptions of entrepreneurship among Baltimore area residents using data from the 2023 Baltimore Area Survey.
Long Term Impacts of the Key Bridge Collapse on Baltimore-area Residents Daily Lives
March 25, 2025
We examine longer-term impacts of the Key Bridge collapse on the daily lives of Baltimore area residents using data from the 2024 Baltimore Area Survey.
Expectations of Future Climate Change Harm and Costs in the Baltimore Area
March 6, 2025
In this research brief, we examine the extent to which Baltimore-area residents are concerned about the future impacts of climate change and how those concerns differ by race, income, age, and geography.
January 23, 2025
The 2024 Baltimore Area Survey asked 163 questions of a statistically representative sample of residents who live in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. The 2024 survey focused on four central topics: Neighborhoods and schools, local government services, food insecurity, and connectivity and mobility
Community Exposure to Drug Overdose and Addiction in Baltimore
September 17, 2024
Our new report, based on data from the 2023 Baltimore Area Survey, offers deeper understanding of the families touched by Baltimore’s growing drug addiction epidemic. Findings show the poorest and least educated are the most affected by fatal overdoses.
Finding the Next Nashville: The Importance of Good Governance
September 1, 2024
We examine the role of governance and policymaking on key factors that affect city vibrancy.
February 19, 2024
The Baltimore Music Census is an anonymous, voluntary survey designed to capture key information about the local music scene. The goal of this initiative is to support local musicians, educators, venues, promoters, industry personnel, and non-profits by giving them important, up-to-date data about the city’s music ecosystem.
A Portrait of Baltimore: Results of the 2023 Baltimore Area Survey
December 5, 2023
Co-designed by Johns Hopkins researchers in collaboration with community leaders, the inaugural Baltimore Area Survey attempts to address topics important to people who live there. The survey of 1,352 city and county residents, conducted by mail this summer, focuses on issues central to how people feel about and experience living in the area.
Minority Depository Institutions: 2010–2022
May 30, 2023
Johns Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative partnered with the National Bankers Association to examine the state of the nation’s 147 Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), mission-driven banks that provide access to credit for marginalized communities, explore how the MDI industry has changed since 2010, identify their lending geography and coverage, discuss their potential impact, and highlight the current state of knowledge on MDIs.
Measuring Diversity in Baltimore’s Startup Ecosystem
March 28, 2023
In 2022, UpSurge Baltimore partnered with the 21st Century Cities Initiative at Johns Hopkins University to field a survey measuring diversity at the employee, leadership, and board level in Baltimore’s startup ecosystem.
The Costs of Baltimore’s Vacant Housing
August 31, 2022
Interest in finally tackling Baltimore’s vacant property problems at scale is manifesting itself in a number of different proposals to restore these properties, to meet housing demand, and strengthen the city’s tax base. Our aim is to provide a strong factual backdrop for assessing various proposals and developing policy recommendations.
Finding the Next Nashville: Migration of the Young, Educated Workforce
July 28, 2022
In this report, we look at the geography of where young and college educated workers make up the largest share of adults in U.S. metropolitan areas in 2019, and examine how that has changed since 2010.
Strategies to Preserve and Build Affordable Housing Near Green Amenities and Urban Trails
March 22, 2022
In this brief, we provide a review of the academic literature on strategies to preserve and build affordable housing with respect to green amenities and urban trails.
Finding the Next Nashville: Job Growth and Job Sector Diversity in Cities
November 8, 2021
In this report, we focus on job sector diversity in metropolitan areas as an important factor in economic growth and resilience. We examine the relationship between job sector diversity and job growth in the 150 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. from 2000 to 2019.
Finding the Next Nashville: Local Determinants of Quality of Life
November 4, 2021
In this report, we focus on how a variety of local factors contribute to quality of life and how those factors are associated with subsequent employment and population growth.
An Analysis of Financial Institutions in Black-Majority Communities
November 2, 2021
This report documents that, at a local level, there are stark contrasts in access to credit for African Americans: Interest rates on business loans, bank branch density, local banking concentration in the residential mortgage market, and the growth of local businesses are markedly different in majority Black neighborhoods
October 25, 2021
The Johns Hopkins University Flood Lab is a partnership between Johns Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative (21CC) and the First Street Foundation that enables Hopkins faculty and 21CC affiliated researchers to use new data on the past, present, and future flood risk for every home and property in the US.
2021 Award for Doctoral Research on Urban Issues
July 19, 2021
The 21st Century Cities Initiative (21CC) at Johns Hopkins University promotes the research of graduate students working toward a PhD degree with a 21CC Research Award for innovative dissertation research focusing on policy-relevant urban research that closely aligns with 21CC’s interest areas.
Investing in High-Speed Rail to Washington, D.C. to Boost Baltimore’s Economy
February 1, 2021
In this report, we examine the current MARC service from Baltimore to D.C. and what an express train could look like, focusing on who stands to benefit and who might oppose such changes
Achieving Digital Equity in Baltimore
January 23, 2021
In this report, we provide a roadmap of recommendations for Baltimore to bridge the digital divide, built on existing knowledge of the city’s digital assets and the experience of other cities.
Finding the Next Nashville: Factors that Cause Cities to Achieve Above Average Growth
January 16, 2021
In this report, we explore five factors that may have contributed to the city’s success: good governance, regional competition, a diversified economy, low cost of living and high wages, and the ability to attract young and educated people.
Environmental Conservation and Poverty Reduction
December 9, 2020
Protected areas such as national parks and nature reserves have become fraught with controversy as they are generally assumed to impose large economic costs that exacerbate local poverty and limit industrial development. However, these protected areas can generate economic benefits.
The Local Economic Impact of Flood-Resilient Infrastructure Projects
December 8, 2020
We partnered with the American Flood Coalition to study the local economic impact of flood-resilient infrastructure projects in U.S. metropolitan areas from 2003 to 2018.
Evaluating Voluntary and Mandated Social Distancing Policies on COVID-19
June 30, 2020
In this paper, we examine the impact of containment policies on both the pandemic and economic markets by comparing prevention strategy implementation across countries.
Police Overtime and Baltimore City’s Budget
June 9, 2020
As the City Council begins to review the proposed $3 billion operating budget and holds public hearings, they face increased calls to defund the Baltimore Police Department, whose proposed budget of $557.6 million for the upcoming fiscal year includes a $21 million increase over the previous year.
2020 Award for Doctoral Research on Urban Issues
May 27, 2020
The 21st Century Cities Initiative (21CC) at Johns Hopkins University promotes the research of graduate students working toward a PhD degree with a 21CC Research Award for innovative dissertation research focusing on policy-relevant urban research that closely aligns with 21CC’s interest areas.
Public Sector Pay Inequality Dynamics in Baltimore, Boston, and New York City
October 30, 2019
This report highlights trends in public sector pay inequality in Baltimore City, Boston, and New York City in recent years.
Alternative Models of Housing Development Programs in Buenos Aires, Argentina
September 16, 2019
This project is a study of housing policies targeting low-income sectors in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the channels for participation of beneficiaries that have allowed them to become involved in the solution to their housing needs
Baltimore City Homicide Count by Month, 2010–May 2019
July 30, 2019
Access the raw data for the Baltimore City homicide county by month for 2010 to 2019.
The Local Impact of Bank Mergers on Small Business Lending
June 11, 2019
As a follow on to work we have done over the past two years to study trends in small business lending in Baltimore City, we looked specifically at the small business lending performance of these two banks in this single market.
21CC Funds 15 New Urban Research Projects Both Local and Global
June 5, 2019
Johns Hopkins University’s 21st Century Cities Initiative, a hub for urban research, awarded 15 seed grants to faculty and doctoral researchers pursuing projects in Baltimore and beyond.
2019 Applied Research Seed Grants
May 23, 2019
The 21st Century Cities Initiative 2019 Applied Research Seed Grant awards support Johns Hopkins faculty teams conducting cross-disciplinary research that examines and shapes the future possibilities of cities as dynamic hubs of opportunity, inclusion, and innovation.
2019 Award for Doctoral Research on Urban Issues
May 23, 2019
In 2019, 21CC awarded eight PhD students researching a variety of urban issues from homelessness to education to housing to urban agriculture in Baltimore City and cities across the globe.
2018: The Year of the Ballot Measure?
February 18, 2019
In this policy brief, we review recent trends in use of the ballot measure in 14 U.S. cities.
Census 2020 Undercount, Federal Programs, and Baltimore City
December 7, 2018
This project will conduct an analysis for Baltimore City, developing scenarios to show the effect of Census undercount on the funds allocated to Baltimore for specific Federal programs. These scenarios can then be used to inform Baltimore City’s Complete Count Committee and encourage Census participation.
Investing In Opportunity: Addressing the Root Causes of Civil Unrest in Baltimore
October 4, 2018
This essay outlines efforts in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray to address the root causes of downward mobility and to ensure that April 2015 was a turning point for the better in Baltimore.
Financing Baltimore’s Growth: Venture Capital Support for Small Companies
October 3, 2018
This report represents a deeper dive into the dynamics of equity capital provided to small companies located in Baltimore.
Strengthening Access to Capital for Minority-Owned Small Businesses
September 17, 2018
21CC has published two reports over the past year presenting a robust set of findings and recommendations relating to the local financing system.
Financing Baltimore’s Growth: Strengthening Lending to Small Businesses
August 1, 2018
As a follow-up to the 2017 report, this paper takes a deeper look into the dynamics of bank lending to small businesses in Baltimore City. Our analysis covers the most recent available 10 years of loan and deposit data that banks are required to report to federal regulators (2007-2016).
Placelinking: An Emergent Approach to Improving Economic Mobility Outcomes
July 27, 2018
Placelinking seeks to improve existing, isolated neighborhoods by better connecting these communities through improved transit, parks and recreation, and other forms of infrastructure and amenities.
Hearing Their Voices: Our Perspective
July 19, 2018
In planning and attending the 21st Century Cities Initiative’s “Hearing Their Voices” forum, students had the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes in helping convene an array of community stakeholders to discuss current events and policies
Promoting Inclusive Communities: Using Local Housing Policy to Combat Economic Segregation
June 28, 2018
This brief reviews the rapid rise of neighborhood income inequality in the U.S. and discusses some of the housing policies and programs that municipal leaders are using to combat it.
Opportunity Zones Are Knocking: Will Baltimore Be Prepared?
June 14, 2018
This white paper provides an overview and update of the Opportunity Zones program and current efforts underway in Baltimore, as well as recommendations for how the city can take full advantage of the program.
May 21, 2018
Highlights of our recent research and convening activities, including the announcement of our 2018 symposium that will be held in partnership with the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s biennial Reinventing Our Communities conference.
Race & Inequality in America: The Kerner Report at 50
May 17, 2018
On the 50th anniversary of the February 29, 1968 release of the Kerner Report, the Johns Hopkins 21st Century Cities Initiative teamed up with the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at University of California, Berkeley to explore the legacies of the Kerner Commission and discuss what a Kerner Report would look like in contemporary America.
Seed Grants Assess Innovative Approaches to Strengthening Neighborhoods
May 16, 2018
Last year, the 21st Century Cities Initiative awarded seven new seed grants to teams of Johns Hopkins faculty working with city agencies or nonprofit organizations on short-term, applied research projects geared towards informing key policies aimed at facilitating economic inclusion, mixed-income neighborhoods, and safe and healthy neighborhoods.
Vital Signs 16 Data Story: Small Business Access to Capital
April 19, 2018
As a follow up to our report, Financing Baltimore’s Growth: Measuring Small Companies’ Access to Capital, which looked at 16 years of financial transactions to better understand Baltimore’s financing system and the flow of capital to small businesses, our Vital Signs data story details how access to capital looks at the neighborhood level.
Kerner Event Explores Contemporary Policy Ideas for Addressing Racial Inequality
April 5, 2018
On the 50th anniversary of the report’s release, the 21st Century Cities Initiative joined the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society at the University of California, Berkeley and the Economic Policy Institute in hosting a conference that explored the legacy, successes, and failures of the Commission, and envisioned what a contemporary Kerner report would say about today’s lingering issues on race, segregation, and inequality.
Baltimore Business Lending Program Adds Capacity to Small Business Financing System
April 4, 2018
The 21st Century Cities Initiative was honored last week to partner with Baltimore Community Lending (BCL) in hosting the launch of an exciting new loan program for small businesses and startups based in Baltimore City.
It Is Never Too Early to Think About the Census
March 20, 2018
In 2020, Baltimore, Maryland and the United States of America will embark on a constitutional mandate that will determine the fate of our city and country for the next decade: the United States Census.
Can Big Data Help Cities Measure and Act on Racial Inequities?
February 5, 2018
New research by Paul Jargowsky reveals that economic segregation – that is the differences in average incomes across neighborhoods – is growing at an even faster rate than household income inequality in U.S. metro areas, the indicator most commonly used in media accounts of rising inequality in the U.S.
The Role of Anchor Institutions in Supporting Local Communities
February 5, 2018
This post describes anchor institutions, their potential roles in reducing economic and neighborhood inequality, and examples of partnerships between anchor institutions and local government.
Symposium Explores Impact of Preemption on Local Policymaking
January 26, 2018
In recent years, preemption has been used to stifle innovative policymaking aimed at improving the quality of life for local communities, often blue cities in red states – shifting from being used as a floor to being used as a ceiling for local policies.
Local Governments Respond to Inequality through Focused Investments in Children
November 22, 2017
This brief examines the history and trends of dedicated youth funds like Baltimore’s, including key elements of a youth fund cities should consider for ensuring public investments most effectively target disadvantaged youth and some of the broader policy implications associated with the recent proliferation of these funds nationwide.
An Analysis of Recorded Crime Incidents and Arrests in Baltimore City
November 7, 2017
Using crime incident and arrest data from the Baltimore Police Department, this report seeks to determine the relationship between these events, numbers of arrests, and subsequent rises and declines in the crime rate.
How Preemption Affects City-Level Public Policymaking
November 6, 2017
We seek to understand areas in which cities have faced preemption, whether preemption was found to help or hinder policymaking, and what resources might help cities to address preemption.
Financing Baltimore’s Growth: Measuring Small Companies’ Access to Capital
September 28, 2017
This report outlines key recommendations for improving financing for local small businesses and startups.
Private Sector Efforts to Support Economic Inclusion in Cities
August 21, 2017
This policy brief outlines some of the topics and recommendations explored at the forum.
Residential Mobility and Narratives of Neighborhood Violence
August 21, 2017
The concept of “narratives”—the stories people tell about safety in their neighborhoods—helps explain why families remain and move within disadvantaged areas.
21CC Supports New Report on Baltimore’s Food System
August 21, 2017
One topic that is less discussed, but is vitally important, is Baltimore’s food resiliency and preparedness in the aftermath of natural disasters like superstorms driven by climate change and man-made disasters such as the April 2015 riots.
When States Interfere With City-Level Innovation: Preemption and Implications for Cities
July 10, 2017
This policy brief is the first in a series of briefs developed as a follow-up to the 21st Century Neighborhoods symposium organized by the 21st Century Cities Initiative on September 15, 2016. The briefs explore key themes raised during the conference that cities are currently grappling with in their efforts to improve conditions in all neighborhoods and for all residents.
Sampling the Extreme Poor: Notes from a Systematic and Venue-Based Study
June 27, 2017
A recent study by Edin and Shaefer (2013) suggests that about one-fifth of all poor households with children—and about one-fifth of all poor children—live at the extreme income threshold of only two dollars of cash income per person per day.
June 26, 2017
In 2017, 21CC awarded seven seed grants under the second round of the 21CC Applied Research Seed Grant Program. The projects focus on the three urban policy areas discussed at the inaugural 21CC national symposium held in September 2016.
Examining the Geography of Opportunity
June 26, 2017
The study team examined the effect of new school contexts on children’s academic achievement after receiving a BHMP voucher.
Divestment & Reinvestment in East Baltimore
June 26, 2017
The researchers focused on three questions: 1) What does the process of neighborhood revitalization look like? 2) What factors drive supply-side actors (landlords and developers) to invest in a neighborhood? 3) What effect are the changes having on community demographics – who’s moving in, who’s staying, and who’s leaving?
June 23, 2017
In the fall of 2015 and winter of 2016, the 21st Century Cities Initiative awarded inaugural seed grants to seven cross-disciplinary research projects. Most projects have a city or community partner and a team of researchers from two or more disciplines.
Rapid Response Research Projects
June 22, 2017
Johns Hopkins University students affiliated with JHU Poverty and Inequality Research Lab conducted Rapid Response Research projects in the summer of 2015 to understand the many factors that led to events which followed Freddie Gray’s death. Topics for the Rapid Response Research projects ranged from mapping divestment to upward mobility opportunities.
Federal-Local Partnerships Playbook
May 22, 2017
This playbook is designed as a resource and manual for teams of federal employees working hand-in-hand with local communities to address stubborn challenges or respond to unexpected crises.
Understanding Landlord Behaviors: A Student’s Perspective on Research in Baltimore
May 18, 2017
Landlords who owned more properties, had perceived greater financial security, and were satisfied with case management reported that they were more likely to continue with the program and invest further in it.
Hearing Their Voices: Baltimore Youth After the April 2015 Unrest
April 20, 2017
The Poverty and Inequality Research Lab at Johns Hopkins University conducted in-depth interviews with 58 young people from some of Baltimore’s most impoverished neighborhoods. The purpose of this report is to illuminate these stories and describe major themes from the accounts of Baltimore’s youth interviewed for this study.
The True “American Carnage:” Trump’s HUD Budget
April 9, 2017
The proposed cuts to HUD will affect both sides of one of the most passionate housing policy debates: public housing and voucher programs designed to replace public housing.
21st Century Cities Initiative: Year in Review
January 5, 2017
The 21st Century Cities Initiative (21CC) came to life in 2016 as a new source of research, convening and action on the most pressing challenges facing urban communities. In 2016, our work was organized around the theme of neighborhood transformation and various approaches to “placemaking” in cities.
Rapid Response Project Captures Baltimore Youth Reactions to April 2015 Unrest
March 3, 2016
Wittmann describes her conversations with city youth, explaining that shorter street interviews led to more extensive, subsequent sit-down meetings. While topics ranged from reactions to Freddie Gray’s death to neighborhood life and the positives and negatives of living in Baltimore, two themes consistently emerged: the need for more recreation centers for youth and the need for more jobs.
